Howladar, Sumit2021-02-242021-02-242014-032278-4039https://ir.nbu.ac.in/handle/123456789/3720One crucial factor behind Mamata Banerjee’s enormous success in the landmark 2011 assembly election in West Bengal has undoubtedly been her populist style of functioning. In this paper I examine whether her politics can be labelled as a pathological political phenomenon or as an authentic form of political representation. I try and locate the element of ‘the people’ and see how she maintains a fine balance between the heterogeneous interests surrounding it juxtaposed against legitimacy and accountability. Lastly I analyse the possibility of ushering of certain self-imposed qualifications and limitations within the larger ambit of her populist style of functioning.enPopulismDemocracyThe peopleNeo-liberalLegitimacyArticle